Narrator-
Alpha Asher casually gathered Miranda's limp form in his arms, along with her fallen keys and purse. Her head naturally leaned against his chest, and the moment her hair grazed against Asher's skin, he gladly breathed in a whiff of her natural scent. She smelled like sweet ripe oranges in the summer. Asher smiled and crossed the street, towards his SUV. He walked around the passenger side only to stop in his tracks when he noticed Joshua standing against the door with his arms crossed and a knowing smirk on his lips.
"What are you smiling about?" Asher demanded before approaching Joshua, silently telling him to move away.
"Dude, you're way too predictable." Joshua scolded playfully while shaking his head.
"Am I now?" Asher asked in return, while Joshua opened the door and the Alpha carefully placed Miranda on the passenger seat, before buckling in her seatbelt.
"Well I'm here, aren't I?" Joshua opened his arms and shrugged.
Asher returned Joshua's comment with a dead pan look, before slamming the door shut and walking around to the driver's side.
Joshua laughed at his best friend's reaction and followed after the Alpha.
"And I mean what did you do? You scared her to death?" Joshua asked, before opening the back passenger side door and hopping into Asher's black jeep.
"What are you doing?" Asher asked.
"What does it look like? I'm hitching a ride."
"Josh, how'd you get here?' Asher demanded.
"I ran." Joshua replied.
"Well then run back." Asher ordered before aiming to grab onto Joshua's shoulder and throw him out of the car.
"Come on, don't be like that." Joshua laughed while scooting out of Asher's reach.
The slight shaking in the car and the voices earned a soft, audible sigh from Miranda.
Joshua peeked over the chair at Miranda's soft frown, before looking back at Asher with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Asher sent Joshua a menacing frown and lifted an index finger in his direction, in sign that he remained quiet and behaved. Joshua in return, simply raised his hands above his head in sign that he would behave.
"Best get the beauty home Alpha, cause if she wakes up in the car, you're gonna have some explaining to do." Joshua warned, knowing his best friend was fuming.
Asher growled lowly at Joshua's taunt, then all but slammed the passenger door shut. Asher hopped into the driver's seat, clicking in his seatbelt, then he looked at Miranda one more time, before driving out of the parking lot. As the Alpha drove quietly through the streets, Joshua couldn't help but note his white knuckles that gripped the steering wheel stiffly. The Beta also didn't fail to note the side glances his best friend kept sending the unconscious girl in his passenger seat. Taking a breath, Joshua began wiping the pad of his thumbs over his knuckles.
"Are you ready for this?" Joshua asked Asher carefully.
Asher sent the Beta a look in the rearview mirror, then focused back on the road. Joshua nodded his head at the best friend's silence.
"You don't have to rush this, you know." Joshua continued, "she's different Asher, she doesn't know about our world, rushing her into it might give her some form of culture shock." Joshua pushed further.
"Let me worry about that." Asher finally replied.
"What are you going to tell the pack?" Joshua quizzed.
Asher sent another annoying glare towards his best friend.
Joshua shrugged, "It's a valid question. They might not take it well with her being human and all."
"They'll just have to deal with it." Asher said in return.
Joshua released a soft chuckle and shook his head. Asher noted the reaction the rearview mirror, before turning his focus back on the road. He then sent a side glance at his sleeping mate and frowned.
"Just say it out loud." Joshua encouraged.
Asher sighed.
"I need a sense of control. If I have her close, then at least I know that she's there. I'll keep her on the back burner, but I know she's there." Asher pushed.
"You need to let go of this obsession with control Asher. I know you think that you have to be the tough guy all the time, but you have to take time off to heal." Joshua replied lowly.
"If I needed to heal, I wouldn't have met her." Asher snapped back, then began accelerating.
"You can't control fate Asher. I know this is about the Luna." Joshua admitted.
Asher set his jaw in a firm line, causing it to click beneath his skin. Joshua noticed this and nodded.
"You see that? That reaction alone tells me that you're not ready for a new mate. You're going to scare her Asher, you need to accept what happened to the Luna first, before moving on." Joshua pushed.
"I don't need to accept anything except for reality, and the reality right now is this: I have a new mate, and I have to protect her. No matter what." Asher replied, the car accelerating even more while his fingers choked the steering wheel further.
"Kidnapping her and scaring her won't make her feel safe dude." Joshua argued.
"Well she's gonna have to deal with it!" Asher boomed out before hitting the brakes and stopping the car with a screech, then swiftly placing it on park.
The jolt was enough to bring Miranda to, as she drew in a fearful gasp and opened her eyes. She noticed she was held by a seatbelt and looking to her left, she noticed Asher fuming. His knuckles were pale and hard, his pupils dark as he turned them onto her image. Miranda's chest began performing fearful pants, her heartbeats rushing up her throat in an erratic manner. Miranda turned a cautious look towards the other male in the car, and Joshua watched her carefully.
Miranda drew in a breath and opened her mouth to scream.
"Aah-"
"Don't scream!" Joshua suddenly exclaimed, and Miranda's throat burned out her horrified cry, earning her only a small squeak.
Miranda licked her lips, still panting, while her skull felt dizzy. With shaking hands, she aimed to open the car door, but Asher's finger pressed on the door locks, making it impossible for her to open it.
"Let me out." Miranda breathed out.
"Let me out, let me out!" She started to scream while hitting her palms against the door and shaking the handle in hopes to escape.
"Settle down." Asher warned, but Miranda was now frantic.
She shook the handle violently, and began to release dry sobs, as panicked tears filled her eyes, and globes of sweat began to form in her armpits.
"Let me out!" Miranda demanded.
"I said settle down." Asher said again, his tone rising by one volume and his syllables slightly harsher.
"What do you want from me? I just moved from Florida, I don't have any money. Please let me go." Miranda automatically begged.
"I said enough." Asher warned for the third time.
"No! Get me out of here!" Miranda cried.
She turned to the window and began tapping on the glass.
"Help! Somebody help me! Please!" The human screamed over and over again.
Joshua looked between the two creatures. Asher's breathing began to accelerate, and Miranda screamed and cried endlessly. Seeing that this could escalate into a literal nuclear war, Joshua stepped in.
"Hey, hey." Joshua tapped Miranda's shoulder.
"No don't touch me!" Miranda shrugged Joshua's hand away and started banging on the door now.
"ALRIGHT ENOUGH!" Asher boomed, and Miranda turned around in a fright, flushing her back as far against the door as possible, while looking at Asher with wide, fearful eyes.
Miranda's breath erupted from her lungs under-toned by fearful shudders. Her anatomy, paralyzed by terror was bubbling at the scalp, while in a loop, her skin erupted into thousands of goosebumps. Asher looked at Miranda with a mean glare. His eyes, though sporting yellow rims around the pupils were cloudy as they reflected Miranda's horrific, pale complexion.
Asher leaned forward, a low growl erupting from his chest. The sound was enough to make Miranda forget how to swallow properly, and she choked on her own spit... or was it on her fear?
Miranda breathed out heavily, her chest rising high and pressing low against her ribcage and lungs. Her eyelids remained wide and she barely blinked, while staring at Asher's hypnotic gaze. Her heart throbbed and thumped against her chest wall, making Miranda feel as if her ribs were being dented by a rubber head hammer.
"Please-" Miranda whispered out, as a tear escaped her eyes, "let me go."
Asher drew in an angry breath and leaned towards Miranda. This caused her to push even farther against the door.
Asher looked into Miranda's eyes, feeling nothing but disgust and impatience. He wanted nothing to do with her. He didn't want a mate, let alone a weak human mate. Not now, not after losing the love of his life, and not ever.
But until Asher ensured her safety and properly rejected her, it was his duty to protect her.
"Settle down." Asher said carefully.
"Just let me g-"
"One more word out of you, I'm taping your mouth and throwing you in the trunk." Asher threatened.
Miranda didn't think her eyelids could part any further, and yet they did.
"Is that clear?" Asher asked the bewildered human who looked his way as though he was wielding an axe and ready to tear her apart limb for limb.
Miranda gulped and nodded quickly.
"I want a verbal answer." Asher pushed, needing to ensure that Miranda understood that he wasn't playing.
"Ye-" Miranda breathed out and gulped again, before closing her eyelids and gathering her wits.
"Yes." Miranda said again, her cheeks flushing as heated blood rushed to her face, a sign of her anxiety.
Asher's vision sized Miranda's face for good measure, then without a sound, he turned his attention back to the road, and removed the car off park.
The car began to drive off, and Miranda folded herself as close against the door as possible, making her form appear small and weak. Joshua frowned at the entire ordeal and knew that the next few days were going to be bumpy.
Meanwhile, back at Aunt May's place, she checked the clock once again and realized that Miranda should've made it home by now. May picked up her phone and attempted to call Miranda again, who's phone rang without response because the device was on silent and tucked inside Miranda's bag.
When hearing the prompt to leave a message, May frowned, but gave it a try anyway, "Hey Miranda, it's aunt May. I thought your shift ended at 3:00 AM? Its 3:45 now, I don't see you anywhere. Are you staying overtime, or do you have car trouble? Call me, I'm getting worried."
Removing the phone from her ear, May ended the call, while the heavy frown of concern made her brow weighty. Sighing audibly, May looked out the window again, hoping to soon see Miranda's car pulling into the driveway.
Across town, Jamie was finally going on her break. She left the bar and headed to the backroom. Grabbing her purse, Jamie then walked back into the hallway and headed for the exit. Jasper, the pale, thin guard opened the door for Jamie without a word. Jamie smiled at him and with a soft word of thanks she stepped into the alleyway. The door closed behind her and Jamie began walking to her car, when across the lot, she realized Miranda's car was still there.
Frowning, Jamie walked around the car and noticed that Miranda was nowhere to be found. Her keys were gone, but a scratch from the door lock told Jamie that something startled Miranda to the point where she lost her grip on the keys.
Miranda turned all around, but the alleyway was empty. Closing her eyes, Jamie drew in a deep, prolonged breath. And that's when she smelled it. The stench of fur and the woods with the undertone of pine. Jamie opened her eyes, and it clicked. Rushing back to the door, Jamie banged on it until the guard opened the door. Jamie hurried into the club and found George chatting with a few patrons of the club.
"Georgie." Jamie exclaimed with urgency.
George turned to his favorite employee and noticed the slight fear in her eyes.
"What is it?" George asked Jamie, while standing up and pulling her away from the group, and silently excusing himself.
"It's Miranda, he's got her." Jamie announced.
"Who?" George wondered.
"Who else?" Jamie snapped, then lowered her voice while drawing closer to George, then revealing, "Asher."